Ma. K Groberhund

[Glorfindel]

I love the way this is coming out. That chipping looks fabulous.

 

[CheesyGrin]

Awesome job. Makes me want to start mine.

 

[Cave_Dweller]

So I had already started on a dioramic base for this, but screwed it up pretty bad. I've been buying those pre-made pine bases from Hobby Lobby, just cheap, routered bases. But I neglected to seal the thing before hand!

I'm using floor tile adhesive, which is cheap and not unlike cake batter, and can be dolloped on and sculpted later. Not sure if it's the best substance to do groundwork with, but it's decent. On plastic bases it works good.

Here's what happened though!





As this stuff cured, it warped the wood and cracked it right in half. Back to the drawing board. Guess I need to stain and thoroughly seal my bases beforehand.

 

[JohnSimmons]

Couldnt you just fill it and paint the base gloss or satin black?

 

[Grendels]

I have had that happen before with those cheap bases. They must be sealed before putting any kind of wet material on it. They are very dry and will warp.

 

[Biskup]

Looks really good.
As for the base. If it's not twisted but just broken you can use it as another element of decoration. In future it’s useful to seal the wood at least from the inside. I learned that also the hard way.
Cheers

 

[Cave_Dweller]

Yeah lesson learned. It's a cheap base, think about 2 bucks. I bought more just need to get a good wood sealant or stain or something.

 

[Grendels]

I use polyurethane as a sealer. It is about $12 for a quart can, and it will last for a long time. You can put it on with a sponge. Worked well on the Mercury 9 base.

 

[Cave_Dweller]

I use polyurethane as a sealer. It is about $12 for a quart can, and it will last for a long time. You can put it on with a sponge. Worked well on the Mercury 9 base.

Cool thanks for the tip, any particular brand?

 

[Grendels]

I use minwax. But NEVER use their putty. It won't cure......

 

[the Baron]

I'd seal the base, in any case, but I also recommend that you might want to try using foam insulation for your landscaping. You can carve it with a regular knife, or even a hot knife tool, to make contours.

You can attach it to the base with various glues, from white glue to epoxies. And you can poke holes in in, to stick in vegetation, or carve slots or depressions to accept walls, rocks, etc.

You can buy it from hardware stores, but if there is a home construction site nearby, you can also ask the contractor for scraps. I find that folks are more than happy to give you things like that, if you ask and explain what you do with it. You might also meet a fellow modeler.

I had a similar issue, by the way, with Celluclay. It didn't crack the base, but as the material dried, the edges lifted away from the base. Lesson learned--my edges were too thin, and I should have added more white glue to the mixture.

Anyway, you'll overcome this, I'm sure!

 

[Grendels]

I once used celluclay and never again for base work. It shrank as it dried, warped and cracked the base.

As for insulation foam. I have tired that as well. Works really well, but you have to seal it up too. I tried to do a water effect on foam and the stuff I used for water just ate its way through the foam. It almost destroyed the entire base.

What I use now is light weight spackling compound. It does take a few days to dry, but it doesn't shrink, you can sand it, cures up white, so if you want snow, it is good, you can drill it, paint it, and it doesn't need sealing. It also comes in large buckets for not much money at a home improvement store.

 

[java]

Brilliant work!,nice finish too. 8)

 

[Cave_Dweller]

I'd seal the base, in any case, but I also recommend that you might want to try using foam insulation for your landscaping. You can carve it with a regular knife, or even a hot knife tool, to make contours.

You can attach it to the base with various glues, from white glue to epoxies. And you can poke holes in in, to stick in vegetation, or carve slots or depressions to accept walls, rocks, etc.

You can buy it from hardware stores, but if there is a home construction site nearby, you can also ask the contractor for scraps. I find that folks are more than happy to give you things like that, if you ask and explain what you do with it. You might also meet a fellow modeler.

I had a similar issue, by the way, with Celluclay. It didn't crack the base, but as the material dried, the edges lifted away from the base. Lesson learned--my edges were too thin, and I should have added more white glue to the mixture.

Anyway, you'll overcome this, I'm sure!

I've used the insulation foam before for wargaming terrain, it does work nicely. I need to get some more of it.

Think I'll have another go at this dioramic base on some rainy day in the future. Still more details to add to the robot itself. I kinda wanted to glue it down onto something so I don't have to handle it. This model is....unwieldy

 

[john fields]

Nice hound I like e colors and the weathering. I would consider using something besides the pine bases, I have had resin from the pine leech out and cause problems. Try MDF it's stable and cheap, just cut to size with any woodworking tools.

 

[Festus]

This is an amazing looking piece of work! I may have to take a look at some of these Ma. K. kits...they look like they're a lot of fun.

Once again, though...great work! 8)